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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27309565">Something to Keep the Ghosts Away</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TyeDyeBoogers/pseuds/AKA'>AKA (TyeDyeBoogers)</a>, <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TyeDyeBoogers/pseuds/TyeDyeBoogers'>TyeDyeBoogers</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Happy Halloween 🎃 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, F/M, Family Bonding, Halloween, Happy Halloween!, Jack-o'-lanterns, Prompt writing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:21:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,589</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27309565</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TyeDyeBoogers/pseuds/AKA, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TyeDyeBoogers/pseuds/TyeDyeBoogers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After you buy pumpkins you either have to eat them, or turn them into jack-o-lanterns.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir &amp; Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth &amp; Nathalie Sancoeur, Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth/Nathalie Sancoeur</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>A Happy Halloween 🎃 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1974736</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>GNBCAAC Halloween 2020 Prompts</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Something to Keep the Ghosts Away</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Gabriel held the knife in his hand and stared at the giant pumpkin before him on the counter top. Letting Adrien pick the pumpkin might not have been his best idea because now he stared at the massive blank side of the pumpkin as it stared mockingly back at him. The thing was huge, almost larger than the pumpkin the boy had picked for himself. It was also twice the size of the dainty pumpkin that Nathalie had chosen. He glanced at the squash in question and the woman efficiently hacking away at the top of the surprisingly dainty orange squash. Adrien was stabbing his pumpkin with cheerful abandon, kneeling on the stool for the right leverage to really get at the top of the thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Truthfully Gabriel had never done this before which only made him wonder once more how he had gotten talked into this. It must have sounded like a good idea, or it could have just been the way that Nathalie looked at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why aren’t you cutting your pumpkin, Father?” Adrien held the knife in one hand, the disc of pumpkin with slippery strands of seeds was held by the stem in the other. Gabriel looked up, startled by his son’s question. “Aren’t you going to make a jack-o-lantern?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am,” Gabriel coughed looking away, his fingers playing with the knife handle on the countertop as he muttered the next part, “ but I’ve never done this so I don’t know what I am doing.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait,” Nathalie looked up at this. “You’ve never made a jack-o-lantern before?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You haven’t?” Gabriel glared at the two gobsmacked gaping people. He immediately regretted even saying it at all. He shoved off the stool and stalked away aiming for the atelier or basically anywhere else. But before he could make it out the door of the kitchen two sets of hands caught his arms towing him back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You should have just said so." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Father, come back.” Adrien and Nathalie pulled him back, chagrined expressions on their faces. Gabriel let the two pull him back and settle him on Nathalie’s stool. He crossed his arms and looked at them over the rims of his glasses. “Please, I want to make our first Jack-o-lanterns together. After all, I’ve never made one either.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel’s mouth twisted to the side, clearly not yet swayed.  Adrien tried again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nathalie knows what to do, maybe she can help?” Those big green eyes turned on Nathalie full force. Her shock could be seen in the slight widening of her eyes but only by those that knew her. She looked to Gabriel, their eyes meeting over Adrien’s head. Gabriel raised an eyebrow at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure, I can help the two of you.”  The corner of her mouth twitched, fighting a smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes! Hear that, father? Now you have to stay.” Adrien turned a bright smile on Gabriel. That was when he knew that he couldn’t say no. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They moved back to their respective pumpkins. Nathalie picked up her pumpkin and moved closer to the two Agrestes, plopping down the squash with a hollow thud. Picking up her knife she looked at Gabriel. The blade hung in the space between them making his throat catch as he swallowed nothing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“First you’ll want to take the top off. This will become the lid later, so make sure you cut on an angle.” She stabbed the knife into the pumpkin, following the path she’d already started. Gabriel looked back to his own pumpkin. That seemed easy enough, which was only partly true considering the amount of force needed to get the knife in, but soon enough, Gabriel held the stringy cap of the pumpkin trailing seeds across the counter as he looked to Nathalie again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What now?” He asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now, we empty the pumpkin.” The corners of her mouth were twitching again. Carefully she rolled her right sleeve up and plunged her hand into the pumpkin. Adrien cheerfully joined her, the two pulling out great gobs of pumpkin guts and dropping them on the counter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You want me to put my hand...</span>
  <em>
    <span>in</span>
  </em>
  <span>…the pumpkin?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How else are you supposed to clean it out?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope.” Gabriel pushed away from the counter. “I am not doing something so - so-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fun?”  Nathalie slapped a handful of seeds onto the counter. Picking up the towel she leaned on the edge of the counter looking at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Disgusting.” He replied flatly. He crossed his arms back at her. The desire to spend time with the two of them was being sorely tested. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Gabriel, live a little.” She dried her hand, reaching out to lay it on his arm. The warm weight of it made the fight go out of him. He was a weak, weak man. Sighing, he dropped back on the stool glaring at the pumpkin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is so gross!” Adrien declared this with the disgusted joy that only teenagers can achieve. The slimy strands of pumpkin innards dripped off his fingers to his aghast delight. They hit the countertop with little plops, seeds skittering across the marble. “Father, you got to do this!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well that was it wasn’t it, Gabriel sighed again and rolled up his sleeves. His hand hovered over the gaping maw of the pumpkin, wavering back and forth before he managed to actually get his hand into the pumpkin. It wasn’t as bad as he thought, but it was close. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a while, with the help of some spoons, three pumpkins sat there completely gutted and ready for faces.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s best to draw out your face before you start cutting,” she said as she handed each of the Agrestes a marker. “Now, you can make the traditional grin, or you can make it scary.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like this?” Adrien turned his phone toward Nathalie, the screen filled with pictures of scary-face pumpkins. She nodded. Gabriel recoiled. This seemed like all Adrien needed as he uncapped the marker with his teeth and turned the tip to the pumpkin before him as he tilted it with one hand. Nathalie also turned to her pumpkin making sure little marks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel looked at the pumpkin before him, trying to remember what a jack-o-lantern was supposed to look like. Furtively glancing at the other two he pulled out his phone hiding it below the edge of the island as he googled ‘jack-o-lantern.’ Once the images were loaded he figured that it wouldn’t be too hard. The toothy grin seemed rather simple. Keeping the picture open, Gabriel turned back to his pumpkin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His designer brain took over once the pen started to move making the best damn pumpkin face you ever saw. However, putting the knife to it kinda ruined it. The bottom of the mouth was too flat but when he tried to fix it, it only became too pointy so he just had to stop, finally dropping the knife. Adrien hearing this looked up from his own masterpiece.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you finished, father?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mmm.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Me too, what do you think?” Adrien spun his jack-o-lantern around, bringing the gaping fanged grimace into view. Gabriel had to admit that the face was well done. His son was showing some artistic potential. Adrien glowed under the praise, quickly growing embarrassed he persuaded Gabriel to share his pumpkin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Click</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Both Adrien and Gabriel turned at the sound to find Nathalie lowering her phone in one hand, the other full of candles. Gabriel glanced back to her chair, not realizing that she had left. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you -?” Gabriel began to ask but was steamrolled over by Adrien.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s your pumpkin, Nathalie?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, something to keep the ghosts away.” Her enigmatic smile piqued the Agrestes’ interest. That was until she turned it around to show a silhouette of Gabriel. Adrien snorted, quickly hiding his grin behind a hand. Gabriel narrowed his eyes at his son before, turning them on Nathalie. He frowned at her, at least he tried to, but the cheeky grin and sparkle in her eye of teasing was stronger than his displeasure. Rolling his eyes Gabriel reached for a candle, but her hand stopped him squeezing lightly the silent message clear to him. He patted her hand, a wry smile quirking the side of his mouth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I need a match.” Adrien startled them apart. Gabriel handed Adrien his lighter ignoring the pointed look from his son. The bright flickering flame glowed inside the pumpkin illuminating the face, less effective in the bright lights of the kitchen but still cool. Adrien gathered the Jack-o-lantern into his arms heading out of the room, “I’m going to put it outside.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Be careful, that candle is lit.” Gabriel called after Adrien and only earned a distracted ‘mhm’ in response. There’s only so much a teenager will listen to, Gabriel shook his head turning back to his jack-o-lantern. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gabriel,” Nathalie’s fingers traced the edge of the counter. “I hope you enjoyed it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Covering her nervous hand with his own, she stilled her eyes meeting his. Gabriel smiles, one of his rare full smiles. “I did.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, for doing this for Adrien.” The moment stretched between them. Nathalie looked hesitant like she was trying to work herself up to something. Tipping forward her lips pressed to his cheek lightly. When she pulled back her cheeks were flushed red and she wouldn’t look at him, her hands gathering up her pumpkin and rushing out of the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gabriel watched her go his fingers trailed over the tingling space of his cheek where her lips had touched. A dazed little smile curling about his mouth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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